Calling Shadows
by rw1013
Summary: Doggett takes a week off and travels away to think about recent events.


Written: October 2001 Chapter 2 coming.  
  
=========== CALLING SHADOWS ===========  
FADE IN. Int. FBI HQ. Doggett's Office. 5:11pm.  
  
Doggett sits at his desk completing some reports and closing some cases from the week before. He shuffles in his chair several times while writing, uncomfortable with the case and eager to close it. He sighs, rubs his forehead and looks up. His face; full of an unresolved sadness, a longing, a depression. His eyes so dull of life that once lay inside. He stirs. He completes his sentence, puts his pen down and sits back. He then proceeds to scratch his chin and lean back in his chair as a sign of relief of the loss of a burden.  
  
Doggett gets up and moves towards the filing cabinet. He then opens one of the drawers and shuffles through the S-files to find a document. He opens a brown case-file and stares blankly at the picture held inside. Such a blank stare, void of emotion yet, with so much seeping through; sadness and pain of a once but, forgotten file. Doggett closed the file and shut the cabinet giving an intense sigh as he did so. He proceeded to the door of his office, put his jacket on and gave one last glance at his office, scanning the room, and then left shutting the door gently behind him.  
  
Int. FBI HQ. Corridor.  
  
Doggett walks down the corridor and knocks on a door with the sign "Special Agent Dana Scully" on the name-plate fixed on the door. He stands waiting for a reply.  
  
" Who is it? " - A voice comes from inside the office, it is Scully's.  
  
" It's me. Agent Doggett. "  
  
" Come in." - Scully.  
  
Doggett turns the handle and walks in. He sees Scully writing up some reports and just hanging up the phone. He stares at her. He gazes around the room. She looks at him and asks.  
  
" What is it Agent Doggett? " He looks at her and puts his right hand on his hip moving away some of his jacket to the side so that his waist (and shirt) is showing. " I am going away for the weekend... and.. I wanted to inform you. " He stared at her with still dull eyes.  
  
Scully put down her pen to pay more attention to Doggett. She stared at him and changed the shape of he eyes to make her seem more caring and sympathetic to the pain he was obviously feeling.  
  
" Is something wrong, Agent Doggett? " - Scully getting up from her desk to walk towards him.  
  
" Nothing Agent Scully. I am just going to take some time off and I thought you would like to know. " - Doggett, staring into her emotional eyes.  
  
He sighs while he talks. Scully stares at him as if to say. "I am sorry. I want to help you."  
  
" I know. Skinner came and talked to me earlier today. " - Scully. She looks into his eyes and tries to keep contact reassuring him of her sympathy and concern for him but he kept darting his eyes and avoiding her.  
  
He knows that she knows what is hurting him. Silence for a few seconds as Scully continued to try to make eye contact with him and comfort him. He rubbed his forehead and looked at Scully briefly.  
  
" I have to go now. " - Doggett.  
  
Doggett turns around and start to walk towards the door.  
  
" Agent Doggett? " - Scully shouting from the other side of the room. Doggett stops right next to the door with his hand on the handle. He turns around and looks at Scully.  
  
" Yes, Agent Scully? " - Doggett.  
  
" You're not alone. " - Scully.  
  
A simple phrase yet, it meant a lot more then a few words to the depressed man standing clutching the door handle. Doggett made eye contact as if registering what she had said and replying to it. He turned back to the door and turned the handle and left. Scully stands in the middle of the room silenced and concerned.  
  
FADE OUT.  
  
-------- PART 2 ---------  
  
Int. FBI HQ. Corridor. 5:22pm.  
  
Doggett stands outside Scully's office and proceeds down the hallway. slow motion Doggett's emotions flavoured full of something sorrowful. His eyes like children's with sadness in deep. He passes other Agents unaware of their stare and their intrege with his current situation.  
  
CUT TO __________ Int. FBI Car Park. 5:28pm.  
  
Doggett walks to his car. He turns off his alarm, opens the door and gets in. He slams with a flicker of fierce rage and sits for a moment. " Dam it! " - Doggett as he hits his knuckles against the steering wheel. His eyes were full of hatred, not for someone, but for something. His fists tighten and his breathing hardens. He settles for a few moments and continues by putting his keys in the ignition. The motor roars and he puts the car into gear and leaves the car park. He drives away. CUT TO. __________ Int. Doggett's Apartment. 6:45pm.  
  
Doggett turns the key and enters his apartment. He walks in, slams his keys on the table next to the door and proceeds to the living room area. His walk void of emotion. He sits down on the blue sofa that dips as he sits. He sits and sighs. He looks around his appartment as if looking for someone to come in or for someone to walk around. It is as if he can imagine another presence in the room, or once was. Doggett sighs and walks to his bedroom. He takes off his FBI badge and puts his gun and it's pouch on his bedside table. He then takes off his jacket and so on with the rest of his clothes. He gets out a towel from a cupboard and throws it on his bed. When all his clothes are off his moves towards the bathroom. He steps into the shower and turns on the water. It is set on extremely cold. He jolts. " Hell! " - Doggett yells as the water hits him. He turns the temperature to medium heat immediately and washes. The goose pimples present on his body for a short period. He just stands while the water rushes down. Leaning his head back and opening his mouth to let out relief of a hard days work. He exits the shower and ventures to find a towel in his bedroom. He reaches out to the bed and finds it there. He puts it on. He goes to his wardrobe and drawers to pick out some clothes. He picks out a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt. He puts them on. He then takes his leather jacket [worn in Three Words] from the back of his bedroom door, it hangs on the side of the door. He puts on the jacket. He stands and walks to his apartment door, he picks up the keys and leaves his apartment. He goes to his car, gets it and drives off.  
  
FADE TO.  
  
Int. Doggett's car, on a roadside. 10:13pm.  
  
Doggett sits in his car. He taps his fingers on the steering wheel. He gets out the car after half and hour to and hour of sitting and tapping on his steering wheel.  
  
He walks to a nearby bar.  
  
CUT TO.  
  
Int. "Super-D's Bar." 11:03pm.  
  
Doggett walks in and sits himself at the bar. A young waitress walks up to him and smiles at him.  
  
" Hello there. What'll it be handsome? " - Waitress.  
  
Doggett sighs obviously uncomfortable with her approach to him.  
  
" A vodka, on the rocks. Please. " - Doggett, a stern deep voice.  
  
The waitress smiles more at him but he just seems to ignore her more.  
  
" Ooh Kay. One vodka on the rocks coming up. " - Waitress. She imitates Doggett's gravely "vodka on the rocks" and then sniggers. Doggett doesn't seem to realise this joke and turns around the face the rest of the bar.  
  
Two hours pass.  
  
Doggett still sitting at the bar with 4 empty glasses in front of him and one half full one in his hand. His face so pale and with a drunken expression. His voice deeper as he murmurs comments to the waitress and the other people sitting at the bar near to him.  
  
" Hey darlin'. Come over here with that! " - Doggett shouts to the waitress on the other side of the room serving some other people. She turns around and stares at him not appreciating his attitude. Although, as she works here often, she is used to this attitude so she smiles and turns around again to the customers she was serving.  
  
Doggett wonders why she did not reply. He finishes up his drink and steps off his stool. Although, he is so drunk that as soon as he steps off he falls to the floor with a loud thud. He lies on the floor with his head down. He begins laughing and then looks up at the people in the bar who are looking at him.  
  
" What? " - Doggett in a jokingly manner. His voice is slurred as evidence of his drinking. He laughs and tries to raise himself. He leavers himself on the bar top and approaches the waitress.  
  
" Hey!" - Doggett shouting with arms up in the air.  
  
The waitress rolls her eyes and walks across the room trying to avoid Doggett. Doggett watches as she walks around him and sees it as an insult.  
  
" Hey! I'm talking to you! " - Doggett turns to face the waitress.  
  
" Don't ignore me! I... " - Doggett slams his hand on the bar out of sync with what he is saying. " ... I was talking to you. Come over here! " - Doggett.  
  
The waitress rolls her eyes and walks over to confront him and his attitude. She comes closer to him and gently talks to him with a soft but stern voice.  
  
" I think you have had enough. I think it is about time you left. "  
  
Doggett stands still, well aside from the occasional wobble. He stares at her and then realises that this is not the place he should be and that this is not the way to live his life. He sighs.  
  
" I'm sorry. " - Doggett.  
  
He says it slowly with a sorrowful emotion. He puts his money on the bar top and makes brief eye contact with the waitress. He proceeds to the doorway staggering and wobbling every two of three steps. The eyes of half the people in the place, including the young waitress are on him.  
  
He goes to open the door. It opens from the outside and there stands Scully in the doorway. They stare at each other.  
  
" Agent Doggett? " - Scully, who stands with a surprised expression on her face. She stares at him. Doggett says nothing.  
4:46am Int. Super-D's Bar. Georgetown Front door  
  
" Agent Doggett?" She repeats staring at his dazed facial expression. Doggett shoves past her and walks to his car. Scully stands, raises her eyebrow and follows.  
  
" Agent Doggett?" - She follows him, determined to find out what is going on.  
  
He opens his car door. Scully pulls at his arm.  
  
" Agent Doggett! " - forceful tone, she turns him around.  
  
" Look Agent Scully... I know what this looks like but I can assure you that I am leaving and that no trouble was made. " - In an affect of an apology for his appearance and current state. He is embarrassed.  
  
Scully looks at him. " John? " She sighs with compassion and care in her eyes. He stares away from her, coughs, and gets into his car. He rolls down the window.  
  
" See you in a week Agent Scully. " -he pulls down the window and drives off. Scully stands at the roadside, hearing the music from the bar in the background. She hears her cell phone ring, she ignores it for a moment.  
  
" Dammit! " picking up her cell. " Scully." - She answers.  
  
CUT TO  
  
Int. Doggett's Car. 5:11am. Somewhere in Arlington  
  
Doggett sits in his car, driving along a desolate road. 'Everybody Hurts' plays on the radio. He stares at the road and sighs. He coughs every now and then but, only to release the tension within. The light from the sky is coming down softly. He sees that another day has come and with that more pain of living. He taps his fingers on the steering wheel. He blankly stares at the road ahead, as if in some daydream or flashback.  
  
start FLASH BACK  
  
1972. November 5th. Ext. Woods. Stormy, cold, wet night.  
  
Doggett, as a young boy, runs through the woods. The rain trickling down his face and hitting his clothes as he runs fast through the mud and leaves on the ground. He slips, falls on his face. His face now covered in mud. He cries. Although, it is quite difficult to know distinct between the rain down his face and his tears. The only way to tell that he has been crying is by his blood-shot eyes beaming forward. He gets up and runs yet again.  
  
His face of terror. Running from someone... or rather, something that he has seen. He hears a deep, hollow voice in the background.  
  
" Johnny!" Comes the voice, from beyond the trees, far behind.  
  
He stops and turns around. His face fills with fear. He continues running, faster this time, building up the pace as much as he can. His breathing harder and louder as time goes on. His step getting increasingly more hesitant as he hears "the voice" get closer.  
  
His bloods pumping around his veins like a sprinter to a racetrack.  
  
" Johnny!! " - The voice, now louder; closer each time it calls out his name.  
  
Doggett falls over again. He lies on the ground, raises his head - soaking wet and covered in mud and leaves - and sees before him a body. The body of a dog. Doggett gasps, takes a deep breath in and begins breathing heavily. His eyes like orbs - red, and beaming. He shuffles back away from the body, gets up and begins running again.  
  
He runs faster and faster, as before, still hearing 'the voice' getting closer and closer and rising in amplitude the faster he runs. He slips in the mud and tumbles down a ditch. He shouts out as he turns and turns in the mud, hitting on some rocks and twigs as he goes.  
  
He stops at the bottom and lies for a while. The rain falling on his body, drenching it. He arises after a few minutes, looks around and staggers up. He has blood on his left knee. He squints in pain as he moves. He leavers himself up and gasps as he puts weight on his left knee.  
  
He staggers forward, still hearing "the voice" very near. He staggers past the over-grown area and into an exposed area. He looks up and around, circling. He hears "the voice" echoing all around him.  
  
" Johnny boy... " He turns to an over-grown area to the left, not where he came from, and continues towards it, as if being drawn in curiosity. He pushes past the branching leaning down and stands in the over-grown area still. His body paralysed. He cannot speak, run, gasp in pain; nothing.  
  
He stares at a branch, to be more specific what is hanging off it; a body. The body hangs, lifeless, off the branch, swaying in the wind and dripping of water and blood. He hears someone come up behind him. He turns around, void of emotion, not scared, to be confronted with someone with a torch. The torch is shone in his eyes - he cannot see the person behind it, they are just a figure. Doggett covers his eyes from the light.  
  
A soft voice comes from the figure. " Johnny. "  
  
END FLASH BACK  
  
Int. Doggett's Car. Somewhere in Arlington.  
  
The bright white light of a car in front of him comes at him, he covers his eyes with his arm (seemingly awake from his daydream) and tries to swerve the car out of the way - he is obviously on the wrong side of the road. The brake pads heat up rapidly from the friction, he grips harder on the steering wheel; his knuckles red. He presses down forcibly on the brakes and braces himself. His car screeches and goes out of control. The car front bashes straight into a roadside tree. Doggett screaming and covering his face as it does.  
  
SLOW MOTION BEGINS  
  
Doggett's shocked face, red eyes, and open mouth. Frozen, yet again. Paralysed. Void. Stuck.  
  
SLOW MOTION ENDS  
  
His car now collided with a tree. The front part pushed up, steam coming from the front area. Doggett lies unconscious with his head lying on the steering wheel - his airbag failed. He lies, nothing moves, nothing breathes, nothing happens.  
  
FADE OUT.  
  
MOVING FROM INSIDE CAR TO AREA AROUND CAR AND AERIAL VIEW.  
Int. Doggett's Car. Crash Scene. Somewhere in Arlington.  
  
Doggett leans on his steering wheel. He stirs. He groans and raises his head very slowly. He rubs his forehead, winces from the pain, and looks at the palm of his hand; now covered with blood. He sighs, tries to move but, frozen with pain all over his body, he can only move a little until the pain becomes too much and he stops. He sighs again, looks around and lays his head on the steering wheel once again falling unconscious.  
  
A man stops his car and comes out to see what is wrong, having not seen the crash but seeing the car smashed into the tree. He knocks on the window, looks in and notices that he is not responding - he cannot see the blood on his forehead.  
  
" Sir? Are you all right? Sir? " He tries several times to communicate, no response.  
  
The man pulls goes back to his car, looks through his car for his cell and rings 911.  
  
" Hello emergency services. " - the voice answered.  
  
" Hello? There's been an accident... " The man said, glancing over at the car.  
  
" Can you tell me what has happened, Sir? " The friendly and calm voice responded.  
  
" Yes. A car has just drove into a tree. And a man is hurt. I have tried to talk to him but he isn't responding. I think he is in" He glances over again. "Real bad shape. I can't even see his face or check his vitals. " The man stutters in confusion and shock. He talks to the operator, giving more details, while walking over to the vehicle.  
  
" Yes... Yes... " The man answering the operator's questions.  
  
" The location? It's north on Lee Highway. " Staring back at Doggett's motionless body.  
  
" Look... I think you should get here quick. This guy doesn't look too good. " He stares in the window.  
  
The man hangs up the phone having been told to stay by the vehicle to help the emergency services find where the accident scene is. He stands, looks around, then back at the body. Sighing every now and then.  
  
He taps his fingers on his phone, with nerves. He waits.  
  
CUT TO.  
  
9:32am. Ext. By Doggett's Car.  
  
Fire fighters and medical personal are at the scene. Drivers that go past look on at the scene as the emergency personal hurry to release his body - still inside, unconscious. The fire fighters use equipment to break through the car frame to unable them to safely release his body for treatment. They work and work until, finally, they pull off the side door and the medical personal carefully remove his body from the vehicle. They put him on a stretcher, insert drips, heart monitors and take him into the emergency vehicle. The vehicle drives off, leaving Doggett's mangled car by the tree for the other emergency personal to deal with.  
  
CUT TO.  
  
1:26pm. Int. Arlington Hospital, VA.  
  
Skinner talks to a doctor in the ER. The doctor shakes his head and gestures with his hands. Skinner sighs and rubs his mouth with his hand. He sees scully pacing down the hallway. She has a concerned face. Skinner nods at the doctor, shakes his hand and the doctor walks off.  
  
" Skinner? " Scully, walking towards him. She watches as the doctor walks down the hallway.  
  
" How is he? " Scully, now standing next to him. He rubs his mouth again. She follows his face as he looks down.  
  
" Skinner? " Scully, now demanding.  
  
" What's wrong? Is he ok? " Scully, trying to make eye contact but, Skinner keeps avoiding her.  
  
He looks straight into her eyes. He sighs.  
  
" What is it? " Scully, softly.  
  
" Agent Doggett was in a car accident earlier this morning. He hit straight into a tree on Lee Highway... " Skinner explains as Scully attentively listens.  
  
"... He... He is in a very bad condition Scully... It doesn't look good... " He sighs, she looks away. She shuffles her feet and looks up at Skinner. " So... Can we see him? " Scully, edging her way towards a door. Skinner walks infant of her.  
  
" Scully... He can't have visitors right now. " Scully stands, then backs away staring at Skinner. She turns around, puts her hands on her hips, faces her head down at the clinical hospital floor and paces up and down the hallway a few feet. Skinner stands and watches.  
  
" I... I saw him last night. " Scully reveals, holding her hand out gesturing to Skinner, he listens. She gulps and then continues.  
  
" He was drunk... He wasn't in a fit state to drive... I let him go... I should have stopped him. I should have... " She trails off.  
  
Skinner edges slowly towards Scully and hugs her gently.  
  
" I should have stopped him... " She says softly.  
  
FADE OUT. 


End file.
